What Can You Do?
by thestupidgenius1123
Summary: It's hard, being me. Being apart of our flock. What's harder is letting go of one of your own. Someone who only ever gave you his everything. When you can't say what he wants you to say...What can you do? WARNING: Dylan death. Post Angel. One-shot. Fax. [Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. All rights reserved to James Patterson. No infringement or copyright intended.]


**Warning: Character death.**

**Warning: Do not read before **_**Angel.**_

**A/N: Really, really short one-shot that wouldn't leave me alone. **

**Summary: It's hard, being me. Being part of the flock. But what's harder is letting go of one of your own. Letting go of someone who only ever gave you his everything. And when you can't say what he wants you to say…What **_**can **_**you do?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Maximum Ride**_**. **

**Set during **_**Angel **_**in the fight scene toward the end.**

MAX

I don't know how it happened so fast. One second he was fine, fighting side by side with Fang, taking on three super kids at once. Doing a fantastic job. He barely had a scratch on him.

Then he was down.

Fang shouted for someone to get him away from the fight, and I turned in time to see Ratchet and Holden dragging him off towards a safer area. Fang's eyes were almost sad when they met mine.

What had just happened?

The rest of the fight went by in a flash, and when there was time to be distracted I ran over to where Dylan was laying. He was now in a puddle of blood. I swallowed, hard.

I knelt next to him, calling Iggy over.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling next to me.

"I don't know," I said, taking Dylan's hand. "Dylan?"

His eyelids fluttered, thank God. I sighed in relief.

"Dylan, what happened?"

He looked like he was in shock. There was no pain in his features. His beautiful, bright blue eyes were wide as he tried to focus on me. "I…I don't…"

"He was shot," Fang said, kneeling on the other side of me. At hearing this, the rest of the group got down lower and Nudge did a 360.

"I don't see anyone," Nudge said.

Tears welled in my eyes and I furiously wiped them away, clenching Dylan's hand.

Iggy found the bullet hole in his chest quickly.

It was obvious there was nothing we could do but wait until he was gone, which wouldn't be much longer.

_Please, no_,I thought, watching the blood dye his blue shirt a dark black. These kids were all my responsibility, whether they agreed or not. I should've stopped this.

_This is what happens when you let others fight your battles for you_, the Voice said in my head.

I quickly wiped my eyes and saw Fang glancing at me in his peripheral vision.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked fuzzily.

After a moment of silence I said, "Everything's great. You did a great job handling those guys, Dylan."

The least I could give him, if I couldn't save him, was to tell him what he wanted to hear.

Though his face didn't move, he sounded happy. "Is everyone alright?"

"Everyone is okay, Dylan," I said, brushing his hair off his face.

_Please. Use your magic powers Dr. Gunther-Hagen gave you and heal yourself. Please. _

"Max, what's wrong?" he mumbled, his eyes finally focusing on me.

"I…what?"

"What's wrong with me? I can't…I can't…"

"It's alright, Dylan," I whispered.

"I love you, Max."

My heart stopped. I had been lying; I'd been telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. Telling him things that would make him happy during his last few minutes here.

But when he told me that…

"I…" I stuttered.

His eyes squinted a bit. Confusion? Pain? I wasn't sure. But everyone kneeling and sitting around us knew what had just happened.

The one thing Dylan wanted to hear from me before he died… and I hesitated.

He was gone. You could tell by the way that the lights faded out behind his breathtaking blue eyes. There was nothing. A sob wracked Nudge's body as she leaned against Iggy.

I took a deep breath as Maya shut his eyes.

_This is what happens when you let others fight your battles for you._

_He's the only one who hasn't left me yet! Why would I give that up?_

_Why can't you just give him a chance?_

_Dylan could make you happy. He really loves you. _

_I love you, Max. _

I couldn't take the silence anymore. I couldn't handle it. Everyone was sitting and standing around Dylan, staring at me. Probably wondering what my deal was. I got up and tried my best to get as far away as possible.

It hit hard. That he was suddenly gone, that all of it had just really happened. That anyone could be next. I realized all too late that we all had big red targets painted on our chests. Dylan was just the first to go.

I wanted to hit myself for crying. The tears streaming down my cheeks were a sign of unacceptable weakness.

_You knew this was going to happen. You can't go into battles thinking you are all going to make it out. This is reality_, the Voice said.

_No_, I thought back, _I was going to get them all out. If anyone was left behind, it was supposed to be me. How could I have let this happen?_

_I don't know, _the Voice replied. _How could you?_

I felt like I was going to fall apart. My knees felt weak.

I didn't know what to do.

• • •

I was sitting in the hotel dining room, holding a cup of hot chocolate. The rest of the flock was upstairs.

Fang sat down across from me, his own cup of cocoa in his hand. My rock so many times when I needed something sturdy to lean on. He sure didn't disappoint this time.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

But I didn't want Fang's pity apologies. His apologies wouldn't fix my mistakes.

I was silent.

"Why didn't you just tell him?" Fang whispered. "Just to make him happy?"

"Because I didn't feel like lying to him," I said hesitantly. _I didn't want you to think I was telling the truth. _

"You told him those other things," Fang said softly.

"If I would've told him that…" I trailed off, trying not to cry so helplessly. _If I would've told him that, I would've been closing the door on us. And throwing away the key._

"It's all going to be okay," Fang promised.

As if his promises meant anything to me anymore.

_No, it's not. _

I hadn't said those things for Dylan because I was a coward. Because I was selfish. Because if there was anything I could do for the relationship Fang and I had, closing the door by loving someone else would end it all forever.

And Fang's love was the only true, real thing I'd ever believed in.

I was not ready for that to be over.

I didn't think I'd ever be ready for it.

The one thing Dylan had wanted from me was to hear me say that I loved him.

He didn't ask for much.

And I was still too selfish to do it.

It's probably why he ended up leaving me anyways.

_This is what happens when you let others fight your battles for you._

_He's the only one who hasn't left me yet! Why would I give that up?_

_Why can't you just give him a chance?_

_Dylan could make you happy. He really loves you. _

_I love you, Max. _

**A/N: Review? **


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